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“As you should be.”
My brother rolls his eyes but doesn’t hide the smile. “Anyways, back to business at hand. You know, the real reason I’m here that has nothing to do with the fact that I’m a brand-new uncle dying to see his baby niece.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I shift in my seat and pull out Daphne’s phone from my other pocket. “She gave me the code. Hold on.”
“So she just… gave you the code. To her phone. No questions asked.”
“She said she’s got nothing to hide.” I tap the code on the lock screen. Sure enough, it opens up to her home screen. Which, to my surprise, is a candid selfie she took of us together. “And she’s been open about everything.”
“So then why are we snooping?”
“Nothing is ever a coincidence,” I say, echoing Daphne’s painfully accurate words. “Not until we prove otherwise.”
Mak furrows his brow. “Come to think of it, things have been a little too perfectly timed. But you’re not thinking she has anything to do with that, are you?”
“No. I—” I open up the message inbox and immediately have to restrain myself from squeezing the phone until it shatters.
Ewing.
And Brittany.
And her parents.
“Someone is fucking with us,” I snarl. “Her, me, and now, our baby. I won’t let this stand.”
“Shit, neither will I,” Mak agrees. “Daphne’s family. Taty is blood.”
The text threads are all more or less the same. Daphne demanding an explanation as to how they got her number. Brittany attempting to gaslight her into thinking she’s the one who gave it out. The key difference is, Ewing has the audacity to suggest Daphne should take him back. The multiple rolls of laughing emojis she replied with almost make me laugh, too.
It’s the thread with her parents I find the most interesting.
DAD: Well? Did you get the info?
DAPHNE: No. I already told you, I’m not doing it. Please stop asking me.
DAD: Our family’s entire estate is riding on this. You’ll have nothing, don’t you understand?
DAPHNE: I have everything I want
DAPHNE: WITHOUT YOU
DAD: Just because you’re spreading your legs for the enemy, you think that makes you his wife?
DAD: You’re nothing to that man
DAD: Just some whore he knocked up. A drunken mistake
DAD: He’ll take your baby and throw you into the streets
DAD: This is for your own good
My fists clench on the lounge chair. Stewart Hamish is lucky he isn’t here right now. I’m about five seconds from beating his ass to a pulp before throwing him into concrete.
DAPHNE: He’s YOUR enemy
DAPHNE: Not mine
DAPHNE: I may not be his wife, but I’m way happier with him than I’ve ever been
